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Compare towns

Malabar vs Rio

57 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (243× in Malabar) and street grid (3.4× in Rio).

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Malabar, FLAn outdoors townFlorida · 3,066 people
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Rio, FLA small town of 1,232Florida · 1,232 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

RioA small town of 1,232
Quiet strengthsRio doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Rio →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,250 more a month in Malabar

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Malabar$3,080/mo
Typical home $538K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.57% · Housing →
Rio$1,820/mo
Typical home $304K (Census) · tax rate 0.91% · Housing →

The difference: $1,250 a month, about $15,100 a year, between Malabar and Rio.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Florida ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
MalabarRio
Snow a year0″0″
January low51°F56°F
July high91°F91°F
Growing season (days)359d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)91st90th
Outdoors & history
MalabarRio
Trails24 mi0 mi
Conserved land16.8%0.4%
Settled1919—
Archive photos1—
Community
MalabarRio
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

57 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Malabar ↔ Rio57 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

MalabarRio
People
Population 3,066Highest 1,232Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +7%Highest FL: +14.6% +1.6%Lowest FL: +14.6%
Median age 53.1±8.2Lowest 25% above FL 58.1±7Highest 36% above FL
Rio and Malabar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 15.2%±6.1Highest FL: 19.5% 14.2%±7.8Lowest FL: 19.5%
Malabar and Rio are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.2%±6.8Lowest FL: 21.3% 37.4%±21.1Highest FL: 21.3%
Rio and Malabar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 40.1%Highest FL: 34.1% 29.5%Lowest FL: 34.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.4%±4.1Highest FL: 6.1% 0%±1.7Lowest FL: 6.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $128,698±$47kHighest 73% above FL $91,953±$16kLowest 23% above FL
Malabar and Rio are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $451,100±$22kHighest 26% above FL $303,800±$115kLowest 15% below FL
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,567Lowest 6% below FL $2,753Highest about the FL average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest FL: 60.1% 100%±100Highest FL: 60.1%
Rio and Malabar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 3%Lowest FL: 12.6% 13.6%Highest FL: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 98.8%Highest FL: 67.6% 96.3%Lowest FL: 67.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1993Highest 5 yrs newer than FL 1977Lowest 11 yrs older than FL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 8% below FL 15 minLowest 46% below FL
Work from home 16%±9.1Highest FL: 15.7% 0%±3.4Lowest FL: 15.7%
Work in townworking residents 2.5%Highest 0.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.8 miLowest 16.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.83Highest 0.50Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Palm Bay (22%)Stuart (20%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RioFew work in Malabar
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 16.8%Highest 0.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 24.3 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.8 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 14.9Lowest 50.2Highest
Florida average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Malabar neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Malabar’s Town Square.

Rio neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rio’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Malabar

Towns like Malabar

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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